Preparation of Ru–Cs catalyst and its application on hydrogen production by ammonia decomposition

Ammonia can be a hydrogen source for many applications including fuel cells. Using Ru or Cs–Ru as the catalyst, hydrogen is generated from ammonia by decomposition reaction. These catalysts are deposited on carbon powder by either chemical reduction or precipitation method in this study. Different carbon powder pre-treatment solutions and catalyst deposition conditions are evaluated. Nitric acid pre-treatment followed by precipitation at pH of 6 produces the highest catalyst loading from solution with given concentration of catalyst precursor. Hydrogen generation rate is measured at different catalyst compositions, ammonia inlet flow rates, decomposition temperatures, amount of catalyst packing, and ratio of Cs/Ru. The optimal condition for the ammonia decomposition reaction is Cs/Ru weight ratio at 3, ammonia inlet flow at 6 ml min−1, reaction temperature at 400 °C. At this condition, the ammonia conversion rate reaches 90% and hydrogen generation rate reaches 29.8 mmol/min-gcat.

► Hydrogen is generated by ammonia decomposition reaction using Ru or Cs–Ru. ► Reaction rate is measured with different catalyst and reaction conditions. ► Conversion efficiency reaches 90% at 29.8 mmol H2/min-gcat.